1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device including at least one trimming detection circuit formed by a fuse as a trimming element and a method for testing the trimming detection circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to set a function or operating parameters of an electronic circuit and fine-adjust the output voltage of a reference voltage, a trimming detection circuit formed by an electrically-trimmed trimming element showing logic “1” or “0” may be incorporated into a semiconductor device. Such a trimming element is a laser fuse trimmed by laser, a Zener diode trimmed by Zener zap or a so-called electric (E)-fuse trimmed by supplying a blowing current thereto.
In the above-mentioned trimming detection circuit, an incomplete disconnection state may occur. For example, after a fuse is trimmed by laser, a melted remainder of the fuse may be present in the proximity of the trimmed fuse, so that the trimmed fuse would be in an incomplete disconnection state. A semiconductor device including such an incomplete trimming detection circuit should be scrapped before the shipping.
In order to find an incomplete disconnection state fuse, a prior art semiconductor device includes a trimming detection circuit which is constructed by a series arrangement of a resistor and a fuse connected between a power supply terminal and a ground terminal, a series arrangement of a testing resistor and an n-channel MOS transistor connected in parallel with the fuse, and a determination circuit formed by an inverter connected to a node between the resistor and the fuse to determine whether the fuse is connected or disconnected (see: JP-10-62477 A).
In a normal mode where a control signal applied to the gate of the MOS transistor is low, the testing resistor is disconnected from the node. On the other hand, in a test mode where the control signal applied to the gate of the MOS transistor is high, the testing resistor is connected to the node. As a result, the determination circuit can determine the incomplete disconnection state fuse as a disconnection state fuse. This will be explained later in detail.